Officer dismissed over Ranger case

One police officer has been dismissed and a second has been disciplined for their conduct connected with a rape case involving footballer Nile Ranger.

The former Newcastle United player was cleared of raping a woman at a trial in the city in 2014.

Detective Superintendent Dave Byrne, of Northumbria Police Professional Standards Department, said: “Northumbria Police expects the highest standards of conduct and professionalism from its officers and staff, the vast majority of whom do demonstrate this.

“We have very high expectations of our officers in safeguarding those who are vulnerable. On this occasion our officers failed to do this to the standard that we require of them. Where individual officers let the public down, we are committed to taking prompt, robust and effective action against them.

“In this case the relevant officers have been subject to misconduct proceedings, as a result of which one officer has been dismissed from the force and the other has been disciplined.”

Ranger was cleared of raping a woman in a hotel.

He denied the accusation and said they had consensual sex after going out drinking together.

He told Newcastle Crown Court he had never engaged in sexual activity with a woman against her will. The jury returned the not guilty verdict after a week-long trial.